I was thinking about it, and I realised that I have no hobbies outside of watching anime, reading comics, playing video games. Can someone suggest a hobby. I'll try it out as long as it's legal and doesn't cost a lot of money.

Have you tried hanging out on 4-ch?

Make music?

>>3

That could be very costly indeed if you mean using musical instruments.

Make comics? Especially computer generated such doesn't cost anything.

You could also take up learning Japanese, to link up with your existing hobbies. If there aren't any cheap courses, there's a lot of affordable self-learn books, and even some decent free lessons on the net.

Those hobbies you mentioned sound like you don't get much physical exercise. I recommend trying some sort of sport that would fit you to counter-balance your otaku.

Referencing >>7 , perhaps starting an workout routine? I started running+lifting a few months ago, I wouldn't neccesarily classify it as 'fun' but I like the results I'm getting.

Thank you for the replies everyone. As to some of the suggestions.

1. Making music is too expansive, especially for someone who's never played music before. I'd have to take lessons and buy instruments. That's no good.

2. I'd love to make comics, I don't know how to draw, but the few times I've tried decent things came out. How would one start a computer generated comic.

3. One of my plans once I run into some money is to take Japanese. There's a place here that gives affordable lessons. Should I borrow some Japanese language books from the library in the mean time. Are books enough to help me get a grasp on the language?

4. Sports: I'm not fit at all, quite overweight. What sport would you recommend. I'm open to running and lifting weights. I have some old 25 lbs. dumbbells lying around, but I honestly don't know what to do with them.

>>9

2)
Use some drawing program, any program. Even oekaki (or should I say even MS Paint) suffices.
And either get a website of your own to publish your comics at, or get a comic website from www.drunkduck.com

also, drawing tutorials are handy.
http://www.nekobox.org/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?archive=Tutorial%201
and
http://www.nekobox.org/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?archive=Tutorial%202
are some good ones.

>>7
He could start watching Prince of Tennis, and take up the sport tennis :) That's what I did, and it really helped me get in shape. If you can like the anime, you will definitely enjoy playing tennis.
>>9

1. I'd say only do this one if you're VERY interested and have good self discipline. Practicing isn't fun, the instrument is expensive, and it takes many years to become proficient. If you're really dedicated, you might want to consider it. I started playing piano when I was very young and hated every moment of it, but now I can find ways to enjoy it.
2. You can definitely learn from a book if you put your mind to it. I've learned a lot of Japanese so far only through self-study because they don't teach lessons around here. Granted, I've had supplements from anime, Japanese music, and Japanese TV to help in my pronunciation and comprehension skills. If you read, you can go at your own pace of learning, but you must have discipline!

Good Books:
Colloquial Japanese
by Hugh Clarke, Motoko Hamamura
A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar & A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar
by Seiichi Makino, Michio Tsutsui
Check out the descriptions on Amazon or something.

4. I'm beginning to get out of shape too (haven't played tennis in quite a while :P). But I'd just do regular exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, running, etc. Biking may not be such a great sport/exercise as it's thought; it's theorized that sitting on the bike seat causes impotency later in life :O

If you want to go through with learning Japanese, I also have to emphasise the importance of learning the basics of the writing system (at least the kana, but it would be a good idea to start on kanji too) as early as possible in your course. Actually, I heard you get the best results from learning the kana syllabaries before you start any vocabulary and grammar. Trust me, it's much harder getting acoustomed to it later when you're already used to writing and reading Japanese in romaji.

Making music isn't expensive. You can use things ranging from Buzz machines to mod trackers. Nobody said instruments had to be involved.

And if you're overweight, endurance running is the fastest way to lose it. If not that, then some other aerobic activity.

>4. Sports: I'm not fit at all, quite overweight. What sport would you recommend. I'm open to running and lifting weights.

Don't run at first if you're clearly overweight - it's bad for the legs and possibly heart (this is no insult - not even young people's hearts are invulnerable). Cycling is more recommended, if it's at all practical where you live (I cycle daily to fight kilos and blood pressure myself). Swimming is also a good form of excercise for unfit people.

I do have a bit of an unconventional suggestion too: join a scout troop. No, I'm not saying you should join an over-patriotic homo-hating organization, just in case that's your first reaction.

Many scout troops are quite or very open-minded, and any country typically has at least three main scout organizations with different views - on troop level, the differences can be even greater, for better or worse. The "normal" way of joining is at ages ~7-13, but leaders are always in demand, and joining at any age should be possible.

I don't see you doing this as very probable, but I wanted to point this option out anyway. It's fun excercise that will teach things and give one friends - since I've never believed in dull excercise by force of sheer willpower, I think it's not the worst possible option from a health point of view. As for the more general hobby part, well, it's been one of my hobbies forever and I'm recommending it.

breaking barrels.
it's fun, and you can make money doing it.

>>15 is DQN

25 lbs is too heavy for basic exercises if you're out of shape.
If you want to lose weight, hiking, then running, is the way to go. Try a contact sport like judo, wrestling or english boxing if being hit and/or thrown does not bother you.

Or try playing guitar, on an cheap acoustic.

If you're in the US, they sell kids' guitars at Walmart for like $20 or $30. And you can get a ukulele for $50, and that's the easiest string instrument there is.

Other options: relive your elementary school days and pick up a recorder (though chording instruments will probably produce more pleasant solo music), or find a cheap electronic keyboard.

You can probably find adequate tutorials online for free or a beginners' lesson guide for ten bucks, although hands-on lessons are of course best.

Also consider cooking. There are lots of good recipes online or in the cookbooks at your local library, and you'll actually save money doing it as raw ingredients are cheaper then prepared foods.

>>19

Yes to cooking. I started baking bread after reading Yakitate!, and it's really enjoyable.

i second tennis. It's an awesome and fun sport you can play for life.

I think I will learn Japanese and Russian, because those nations have the cutest females.

just a comment to learning japanese. I have started learning it , and because it hear it every day in music/anime i learn it super fast. Like i have learned german in school for 1year now(4-5*40m every week) and i know more japanese words.

>>19 >>20
I third cooking. It's the only way I can get decent Oriental food cheaply, and it allows you a lot of creativity.

>>24 i also cook , tried to make noodles once tasted like wet weat :( . anybody got a tip on how to make them more tasty , because last time i almost got sick of the wet weat taste :(

>>25 Spices, man, spices! :-p Anything, really. Soy sauce is good. I just made random stirfry noodles with veggies and shrimps, and lemon-vanilla lotus stall dessert cream (i didn't feel like tossing the lotus stalls into the stir fry)

>>24 i agree on cooking too. 4 votes for it so far.